The antidote for false gospels

19^th Century Princeton theologian B.B. Warfield observed, “There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all.” As 21^st Century Christians, it seems that this truth of the gospel can easily be lost amid the onslaught of competing philosophies. These philosophies, upon careful analysis, fall under the weight of Biblical scrutiny, demonstrating themselves to fall far short of anything that can be considered competitive on any level. The Gospel alone stands as the message with the power to change lives and transform hearts.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Paul correctly points out that the Gospel alone is the power of God to bring salvation. But yet even among professing Christians this truth is obscured by the many false gospels we embrace in efforts to enhance our spiritual and moral resumes.

Among these false gospels are the common morality or nationalistic identity that we put forward as a substitution for the righteousness that only comes from Christ. Consider common morality: the idea that if we exhibit good behavior, often in comparison to the worst among us, then we will qualify ourselves for Heaven. Practically, the argument goes something like this: “I attend church on a regular basis, love my family, I work hard, pay my bills, drink responsibly and give to others occasionally.” This “good ole boy” behavior is the standard by which many measure their personal holiness. Sadly, many are perhaps ignorant of the fact that according to the Bible, the standard by which all of us will be judged is not our personal ideas of morality or even societal standards, but by the standard of God’s righteousness. By this standard we all fall short.

Nationalistic identity is another false gospel that is often embraced in hopes of self-qualification before God. This is idea that by virtue of our birth in a particular country we are intrinsically better than others. Our country embraces certain values and guarantees certain freedoms that we feel elevate us above people of other nationalities. Often, these thoughts even extend to regional differences within the same country. Although it is wonderful to feel patriotic and seek to advance the ideals and institutions that have made one’s country great, we must never mistake the power of patriotism for the power of the Gospel. Countries may come and go with the ebb and flow of history, but the Gospel alone remains the guarantee of eternal salvation.

The Bible communicates this truth by presenting to us both the Law of God, which outlines the obligations of God’s righteousness, and the Grace of God that proclaims the declarations of the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that transforms our hearts to reflect God’s righteousness given to us through the gift of Christ on the cross.

Consider this passage in Ephesians 4:22-24: “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and… be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and… put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” In this passage we see both the communication of obligations representative of God’s righteousness and declarations of God’s grace. The obligation to “put off [our] old self” is made possible by the declaration that we can “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Because of the power of the Gospel, we have the promise that we are created after the likeness of God. This is the truth that delivers us from the lies of false gospels that would seek to enslave us and liberates us based on the basis of our faith in Christ.  As B.B. Warfield goes on to say, “It is always on His ‘blood and righteousness’ alone that we can rest.”